Apparatus for the separation of sujstances of different



1. M. DRAPEH; APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF SUBSTANCES OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITIES, SUCH AS FlNE COAL 0R ORES AND THE LIKE.

APPUCATIUN FILED NOV. I2 1917- W iutented NOV. 20, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. M. DRAPER.

APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF SUBSTANCES OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAvmEs, SUCH .AS FINE COAL 0R ORES AND THE LIKE. APPLCAT1ON FlLED NOV 12,1917

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 2/7744 a 6 95 ,181. fir v reruns cor-m MARRIOTT nnarnn; or nnznehnn, extension.

APPARATQ$ FOR THE SEPARATIGN F SUBSTANCES 513E DIFFERENT SPEill'FIU GRAVITIES, SUCH AS FINE COAL OR-ORES AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 12,1917. Serial No. annals.

1'0 all whom z' t may concern: I

Be it.kn0Wn that I, JOHN MARRIOTT DRAPER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at New Foundry, Bridgend ln the 5 county of Glamorgan, England, min ngengineer, have invented new and useiul Improvements in. Apparatus for the Separation of Substances of Difi'erent Specific Gravities, Such as Fine Coal or Ores and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of apparatus in which the component parts of substances such as fine .coal or ores and 5 the like are separated according to their different specific gravities by the action of an ascending current of Water which carries the lighter portions to an overflow situated toward the upper end and the heavier portions passfdoWnWa-rd through such cur rent and are discharged at the bot-tom, and in which a balancing column of liquid is connected to the apparatus at a point intermediate of the point of entrance of the 5 water producing the ascending current and the point of discharge, and it consists in improvements in the construction of this form of apparatus which is described in theispecification of my prior Patent No. 1210916 dated 2nd January 1917.

These improvements are illustrated in the V accompanying drawing, in Which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the vertical tube shaped receptacle in such "the separation is effected, and

Fig. 2 a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detached plan view of the inner chamber contained in the vertical tube.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a set of three 40 vertical separating tubes combined to constitute an element having a single connection with a con'veyer for carrying off the heavier ortions discharged from the bottom of a1 three tubes and 1 4'5 Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 4. In these figures 1 is the vertical tube' sh pied receptacle to the upper end of which the; material to be' separated is supplied through the feed hopper 2, and passing through the inner chamber 15 is subjected to the action of the current of liquidente' ing thetube 1 edit, and which carrying the Patented Nov. 25

lighter portions of the material upwardw with it causes them to pass out of the apparatus by the overflow 3 toward the top.

Beneath. the point 5 the tube 1 is provided with an opening or balancing column connection 7, below which said tube is conat-3 to allow a considerablebody' of air to remainabovethe normal Water vievei as the result of running the apparatus before materlal is fed into it from the feed chamber An air cock at 1? allows the escape of air in starting the Water flow and thus a normal water level to be attained both in the tube 8 and at the overflow 3, The cock 17 is then closed. Inunediately coal or or is'supplied from the feed. chamber 2, Water level rises considerably higher in t above the ievel of overflow 3, owing to the added resistance to the upward cu'ri ofleredi by the body of the material i the conical inner chamber 15. i fhen cocirl'i is closed and the apparatus is "the volume of air confined the tube .8

above the level of the liquid therein,

constitute such an elastic cushion as Wiii .ena'ble the column of liquid acting at the the p in operation point 7 on the 37011111190 Water the sep'a rating tube 1 below the 5 of the ascending spend in the most sensitive manner to or y fluctuation occasioned such tube by vari ationsin the feed of the material entering the inner chamber 15 from hopper 2 and the pulsations produced by which might otherwise lead to irregularity in. the mate .rial carried off through overflow 3, and of that passing out through the; bottom dis charge.

The upper chamber falls from hopper 2 is conical portion15 which directs such ma teriai to the center of thetube 1 and which portion is provided point of entrance separating current, to re t into which the feed composed of enumer- With perforations 16' through which the ascending current entering at 5' passes,-and acts upon the material therein in the most efiicient manner to insure the separation and carrying of. the lighter portions upward to the overflow 3. From the bottom of the conical portion 15 a downwardly depending narrow parallel or tubular portion 18 extends and terminates.

cific gravities, passing either with the lighter portions upward to the overflow exit 3, or continuing their downward course for discharge with the heavies at the bottom of tube ,1. I

The interior of the casing of the tube 1 in the vicinity of the ascending current entrance 5 is preferably provided with an upard inwardly extending web 19, and with a similar web '20 in the vicinity of the balancing column connection 7 and which have the eiiect of neutralizing anyftendency the flow through the tube would otherwise have of producing eddy currents which would impair the eliicient ascending separating action of the current on the material, the descent of which should as far as possible be in a uniform gradual vertical direction without any gyratory motion.

As shown in Figs. 'El: and 5 a plurality of separating tubes ,1 (preferably three as shown) constructed as hereinbefore described are preferably combined to constitute an element with a common discharge, and any suitable number of which elements may in turn be employed in connection with a conveyer 13 common to all to constitute a battery of separators.

In order to insure the independent operation oi? each separator of the element the discharge from each of the tubes 1 is controlled by a separate slowly rotating star valve 25 driven by a sprocket wheel and chain 26, and which is situated above the common point of connection of the three tubes constituting such element with the tube of the conveyer 13. so that each of said tubes is effectually cut oil from the others. and consequently any variations occurring in one will in no way affect the action in either of the other tubes.

Each of the tubesl below the separating zone and above the discharge valve .25 is preferably fitted with a suitably glazed inspection opening 22 which by observation of the descending material will allow of the ascending current of liquid or the height of the overflow at 3 being adjusted should the operation of separation not be satisfactorily progressing.

Further, a sliding sampling valve 23 may be fitted below the inspection opening .22, and a recess 24 in which valve will retain a portion of the descending material and enable such sample to be drawn out and removed for inspection before deciding to make any adjustment, without necessitating any interruption of the operation of the apparatus.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A separator for fine material such as fine ores, fine coal and the like comprising a separating chamber having a discharge outlet for heavy material in its lower part and an overflow outlet for light material in its upper part, a hydraulic inlet connected with said separating chamber below said over flow outlet and adapted to establish an up-,

ward current in said chamber, and a tube connected at its lower end with said separating chamber between said discharge outlet and said hydraulic inlet, extending above the plane of said overflow outlet and having a closed upper end. said tube being adapted to contain a balancing column of liquid exposed to the action of an air cushion and directly connected with said separating chamber and sensitively responsive to finev tuations caused therein by irregularities of the feed of material thereto.

The combination of a series of separators for fine material such as fine ores, fine coal and the like each comprising a separating chamber having a discharge outlet for heavy material in its lower part and an overflow outlet for light material in its upper part, a hydraulic inlet below said overtiow outlet and adapted to establish an upward current, means directly connected with each separating chamber between its outlet and inlet for maintaining a balancing column, a common conveyor tube connected with the several discharge outlets of said separating chambers and slowly rotating discharge valves severally controlling the discharge through said outlets and rendering the action of each independent of that of the others.

3. A separator for fine material such as line ores, tine coal and thelike comprising a separating chamber having a discharge outlet for heavy material in its lower part and an overflow outlet for light material in its upper part, a hydraulic inlet connected with said separating chamber-below said overflow outlet and adapted to fstabliSh an upward current in said chamber, and a tube connected at its lower end with said separat ingcham'bers between said discharge outlet and said hydraulic inlet, extending above the plane of said ovcrfiow'outlet and having a closed upperend provided with an air cook,

said tube being adapted to contain a bala noname to this Specification in he pi'esence of ing co'1un i n=of liqmd exposed to the actlon two subscribing witnesses. of an. air' c11shi0n and directlyconnected with s'aidgs epa mting chamber and sensitively 7 JOHN MARRIOTT D RAPER i respon's'fi'e "to' fluctuations caused by irregu- Witnesses: la l'fities ofgthe feed of material thereto. WILLIAM J. PERKINS,

I 1' iii1oQyyl1ereof I have signed' my F'mnmm H Tmwrm. 

